Epicleta

An epicleta (plural: epicletae) is a type of prayer, common in Eastern Christian liturgies, specifically an invocation or calling down of the Holy Spirit to sanctify the eucharistic bread and wine, transforming them into the body and blood of Christ. It may also refer more generally to any invocation of the Holy Spirit for a particular purpose, such as blessing a person or object.

The epicleta usually occurs after the anaphora, the central Eucharistic prayer, and is a crucial element in many Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic liturgical traditions. While the exact wording and liturgical context of the epicleta varies between different rites, its fundamental purpose remains the same: to explicitly ask the Holy Spirit to descend and complete the sacrament.

Theological understanding of the epicleta differs slightly between Eastern and Western Christian traditions. In the East, the epicleta is generally understood as the definitive moment of consecration, when the bread and wine truly become the body and blood of Christ. In the West (Roman Catholic tradition), the Words of Institution ("This is my body... This is my blood...") are traditionally considered the moment of consecration, although the invocation of the Holy Spirit is still present in the Eucharistic Prayer.

The presence and specific wording of the epicleta were points of theological debate during the Reformation, and continue to be a point of discussion in ecumenical dialogue between Eastern and Western Christian churches. Understanding the epicleta is vital to understanding the nuances of Eucharistic theology within Eastern Christianity.